SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The scientific plan of an international AIDS coalition, which includes U.S. government agencies, was published Tuesday in PLoS Medicine.
The Global HIV/AIDS Vaccine Enterprise's goal is development of a vaccine for HIV, which was supported by G8 countries last June. The plan outlines challenges facing scientists and calls for research funding to double to $1.2 billion annually.
Included in the coalition is the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
"It must be emphasized, however, that the major difficulties encountered in the development of an HIV vaccine are scientific, not organizational, and arise directly from the complexities of HIV and AIDS. 'Small science' should not be replaced with 'big science.' Both approaches must be undertaken," the report said.
The scientific plan was developed by more than 140 scientists worldwide. It calls for new candidates for vaccine development that "induce high levels of broadly reactive and persistent immune responses against HIV strains."
The report is available on the Public Library of Science's Web site.
